Lulwamisigwa kwe Nzano we Kupinda Pezhugwi
1 Hezekiya katumila ndaidzo ku Baiziraela bose ne ku Bajuda bose kakwalila Ifureimi ne Manase hwalo kuti bazhe ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe mu Jerusalema ne kuwoshongozhela Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi wa Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela. 2 Ngobe mambo ne makulukota awe ne gubungano lose mu Jerusalema bakabe basunga kuti kulondolodziwe Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi mu mwedzi we bubili. 3 Bakabe basingatubule kuulondolodza nge tjibaka tjawo ngobe kwakabe kusina bapirisiti bakaswika ngoti bakabe basazwitjenapadza ne bathu bakabe basakakubungana ku Jerusalema. 4 Ngono ndongoloso iyeyi yakabe ilingika yakalulwama mbeli kwa mambo ne gubungano lose. 5 Ndizo ndaulo yakadusiwa kuti kudang'we Baiziraela bose kudwa tjose ku Bheerisheba kunoti ku Dani, kuti bathu bazhe bawolondolodza Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi wa Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela ku Jerusalema ngobe kwakabe kwabe tjibaka tjilefu basinga tjauzane sekwa bakadwiwa. 6 Nge ndaulo ya mambo batumwa bakayenda Iziraela yose ne Juda nge hwalo dzinodwa kuna mambo ne makulukota, hwalo dzakabe dzibalika sahwoku:
“Bathu be Iziraela, shandukilani kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wa Abhurahama na Isaki na Iziraela kuti ndizo babgwililebo kumuli imwi makasala, imwi makapudzumuka mu maboko a bomambo be Baasiriya. 7 Musinge bobatategulu benyu ne zwikamu zwenyu ibo bakabe ne kusagalikabgwe kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babo ngono kabathama zwishingisiwa zwe zwithu zwinotjenamisa sekwa koga mubona. 8 Musiwomeledze mitshibha sa botate benyu, muzwiyise pasi kuna Yahwe. Izhani ku bugalo gwabo gwakayengemala igo Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu gwabakathama kuti gugale gwakayengemala tjatjose, muzhe mubashingile kuti ndizo basitongomugwadzila moyo tjatjose. 9 Ha mungashandukila kuna Yahwe, zwikamu zwenyu ne bana benyu banowohwigwa ngoni ne basungi babo ngono banowobgwilila ku shango yabo ngobe Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bana ngoni ne mahwilozogwadza. Abangamufupatile amushandukila ku bali.”
10 Batumwa bakayenda mizi mikulu yose mu mituthu yose ye njudzi dza Ifureimi na Manase ne kunoti ku bunandzwa ku ludzi gwa Zebuluni koga bathu bakabe bebaseka bebadadila. 11 Nekwakajalo, bamwe balume be Asheri ne Manase ne Zebuluni bakazwiyisa pasi bakayenda ku Jerusalema. 12 Simba le Ndzimu likabe lili mu bathu be Juda, wakabapa meya nng'ompela kuti babhatane bathame tjalaugwa ndi mambo ne makulukota ngekwe dama la Yahwe.
13 Mbunga usi nshoma ukanokubungana ku Jerusalema kunolondolodza Nzano we Tjiwunga tjisina Mbidzo mu mwedzi we bubili. 14 Bakadusa zwibeso zose zwakabe zwishingisiwa zwili zwinodusigwa zwibhayilo ne zwinopisiwa motsha mu Jerusalema ngono bakanozwilashila ku nkuku we Kidironi. 15 Ngono mu zhuba le bugumi lina manna (14) le mwedzi we bubili bakabhaya pkhwizana dze Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi. Bapirisiti ne Balevi bakabe basazwitjenapadza bakabhakhwa nge shoni ngono bakazwitjenapadza bakazhisa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe. 16 Bakadwapo betola magalo abo sekwa kuli iko mu nlayo wa Mushe nlume we Ndzimu. Bapirisiti bakanyasa malopa abakabe bepiwa ne Balevi. 17 Ngoti kwakabe kuna bathu banjinji mu gubungano bakabe basakazwitjenapadza, ndizo Balevi bakabe bakafanila kubhayila mmwe ne mmwe wakabe asi mbuyanana pkhwizana ye Nzano we Kupinda Pezhugwi kuti kube kwakayengemala kuna Yahwe. 18 Nenguba bunji gwe bathu bakabe bedwa ku Ifureimi ne Manase ne Isakari ne Zebuluni bakabe basazwitjenapadza, bakaja tjibhayilo tje Nzano we Kupinda Pezhugwi ikoku kusi iko kwakakwagwa mu nlayo. Koga Hezekiya wakabatembezelela eti, “Tshene Yahwe, ibo bakalulwama, bangazwiibhatigwa mmwe ne mmwe, 19 we moyo uwe umukushaka Ndzimu, Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babe nenguba angabe asakatjenapala sekwa milayo inoshaka.” 20 Ngono Yahwe bakadabila Hezekiya ngono Yahwe bakatjidza bathu. 21 Kwakabe kwe mazhuba ali kutendeka bathu bakakubunganila ku Jerusalema belondolodza Nzano we Tjiwunga tjisina Mbidzo nge shatho hwulu ngono zhuba ne zhuba Balevi ne bapirisiti bakabe bekudza Yahwe nge mimoyo yabo yose. 22 Hezekiya wakalebeleka ekudza Balevi bose bakalakidza bunyambi mu nshingo wa Yahwe. Ndizo bathu bakaja zojiwa zwe nzano kwe mazhuba ali kutendeka, bedusa zwibhayilo zwe mbakisano ne kuyisa mboko kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wa botate babo.
23 Ipapo gubungano lose likadumana kuti badwilidzile nzano kwe mamwe mazhuba ali kutendeka nge kushatha. 24 Mambo Hezekiya kadusa mikono ili tjiwulu (1 000) ne pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzili zwiwulu zwili kutendeka (7 000) kuti bathu babhaye baje, ngono makulukota kabapa mimwe mikono ili tjiwulu (1 000) ne pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzili zwiwulu zwili gumi (10 000). Bapirisiti banji bakazwitjenapadza. 25 Gubungano lose le Juda likashatha kose ne bapirisiti ne Balevi na bose bakabe bazha bedwa ku Iziraela kubaligwa ne bazhi bakabe bedwa kuzhe kwe Iziraela na ibabo bakabe begala mu Juda. 26 Kwakabe ne kushatha kukulu mu Jerusalema ngobe tjinga kudwa tjibaka tja Solomoni nkololo wa Dafite mambo we Iziraela akuzotongobe ne tjakajali mu Jerusalema. 27 Bapirisiti ne Balevi bakama ne makumbo bakakombolela bathu ngono Ndzimu ukabahwa ngobe ntembezelo wabo wakaswika kudzimu ku bugalo gwawo gwakayengemala.
Hezekiah Prepares To Celebrate Passover
1-4 Passover wasn't celebrated in the first month, which was the usual time, because many of the priests were still unclean and unacceptable to serve, and because not everyone in Judah had come to Jerusalem for the festival. So Hezekiah, his officials, and the people agreed to celebrate Passover in the second month.
Hezekiah sent a message to everyone in Israel and Judah, including those in the territories of Ephraim and West Manasseh, inviting them to the temple in Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover in honor of the Lord God of Israel. 5 Everyone from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north was invited. This was the largest crowd of people that had ever celebrated Passover, according to the official records.
6 Hezekiah's messengers went everywhere in Israel and Judah with the following letter:
People of Israel, now that you have survived the invasion of the Assyrian kings, it's time for you to turn back to the Lord God our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped. If you do this, he will stop being angry. 7 Don't follow the example of your ancestors and your Israelite relatives in the north. They were unfaithful to the Lord, and he punished them horribly. 8 Don't be stubborn like your ancestors. Decide now to obey the Lord our God! Come to Jerusalem and worship him in the temple that will belong to him forever. Then he will stop being angry, 9 and the enemies that have captured your families will show pity and send them back home. The Lord God is kind and merciful, and if you turn back to him, he will no longer turn his back on you.
10 The messengers went to every town in Ephraim and West Manasseh as far north as the territory of Zebulun, but people laughed and insulted them. 11 Only a few people from the tribes of Asher, West Manasseh, and Zebulun were humble and went to Jerusalem. 12 God also made everyone in Judah eager to do what Hezekiah and his officials had commanded.
Passover Is Celebrated
13 In the second month, a large crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Thin Bread. 14 They took all the foreign altars and incense altars in Jerusalem and threw them into Kidron Valley.
15-17 Then, on the fourteenth day of that same month, the Levites began killing the lambs for Passover, because many of the worshipers were unclean and were not allowed to kill their own lambs. Meanwhile, some of the priests and Levites felt ashamed because they had not gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean. They immediately went through that ceremony and went to the temple, where they offered sacrifices to please the Lord. Then the priests and Levites took their positions, according to the Law of Moses, the servant of God.
As the Levites killed the lambs, they handed some of the blood to the priests, who splattered it on the altar.
18-19 Most of the people that came from Ephraim, West Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not made themselves clean, but they ignored God's Law and ate the Passover lambs anyway. Hezekiah found out what they had done and prayed, “Lord God, these people are unclean according to the laws of holiness. But they are worshiping you, just as their ancestors did. So, please be kind and forgive them.” 20 The Lord answered Hezekiah's prayer and did not punish them.
21 The worshipers in Jerusalem were very happy and celebrated the Festival for seven days. The Levites and priests sang praises to the Lord every day and played their instruments. 22 Hezekiah thanked the Levites for doing such a good job, leading the celebration.
The worshipers celebrated for seven days by offering sacrifices, by eating the sacred meals, and by praising the Lord God of their ancestors. 23 Everyone was so excited that they agreed to celebrate seven more days.
24 So Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep to be offered as sacrifices and to be used as food for the sacred meals. His officials gave 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep, and many more priests agreed to go through the ceremony to make themselves clean. 25 Everyone was very happy, including those from Judah and Israel, the priests and Levites, and the foreigners living in Judah and Israel. 26 It was the biggest celebration in Jerusalem since the days of King Solomon, the son of David. 27 The priests and Levites asked God to bless the people, and from his home in heaven, he did.